


The Moon's Sky Crest

by 16johnsjes



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angel Sex, Angel Wings, Angst and Humor, F/M, Multi, Other, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-08-13
Packaged: 2018-04-12 03:56:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4464557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/16johnsjes/pseuds/16johnsjes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 2134, and humanity knows its not alone. They built meg cities expanding all over the Earth, even colonizing new planets, but such costly endeavors cost money, and in order to obtain the funds they needed power to secure a new and brighter future for humanity. So they built a military powerful enough to expand over the known galaxy, one of those branches was C.O.U.P, or central operations of universal peace, its one mission to unite the races under one government, under one rule. Yet, here I am unraveling the lie of that peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tale Of Woe

**Author's Note:**

> So this entire work belongs to me, as it's a original piece. So please leave comments, I would really like to hear some reviews, whether you hate it, love it, or are in between I don't care! Just let me know what you think.

I used to be a skyrider, top of the line bio-organic wings, made from my own genes and spliced with a bird of my choice. Top of the line, military issued that was, the best they could afford, a military spanning all known galaxies. The year was 2134, nearly a full century since the first alien life had been made contact with on Earth by a scientist of the name Luke Klyse. Within this time technology and science had advanced beyond anything we have ever achieved in the past few centuries, all within the spanse of a few decades. 

Of course knowing that we weren't alone in the vast universe, called for unique military measures. Basic solders where replaced with life like drones, each controlled by a separate AI operated unit, with a heavily encrypted hard drive, making each unit incapable of being reversed engineered or tampered with. Yet, with all these fancy new additions to the military drew uncanny attention, other races becoming suspicious of our 'human' annotative. So, they created a whole new branch, a unique flavor, of police forces. It was C.O.U.P, or central operations of universal peace. It's single mission to unite the different races, under one peaceful roof, which was as about as easy as finding a nut in cow shit. 

As regularly trained police officers where obsolete off Earth, they created the skyriders. Specially selected officers with, usually, a military based background. I wasn't among the first issued to come forward for service, and I thank my lucky stars every day for that. Skyriders where meant to look like angels, a symbolic sense of a justice based soldier. A human that had faced hard situations and coming out alive, earning recognition. People that showed values that the military liked to invest in. The first trials they ran, they ran into several biological issues with attaching the wings. Gene splices failed horribly within the first few rounds of trying to perfect the skyriders. Normally they looked like some horrible goblin mutant with rotting wings. 

After too many failed attempts they shut the program down, albeit temporarily, or otherwise I wouldn't be telling this story now would I? Several years later one of the program's original scientists Jack Wolfe, had a break through, something about the correct proteins, or at least that's what I made out at the time amidst all the science talk. Jack Wolfe, was a bright young lad of 23, going through the best academies and college courses with flying colors, in a way he was considered the new 'Luke Klyse.' He was tall skinny, nerdy really, with lightly tanned skin, big expressive brown cow eyes, and a messy mop of black hair. Apparently in order to be a skyrider, it couldn't just be any specially selected tough soldier with a outstanding service record, no it boiled down to more than that, it was genetics. And now this is where I stood in the beginning of the 23rd century, the year of 2300, listening to Wolfe chatting the ear off of my commander, a tough old girl Doe was. Mean as nails, and as we all liked to joke behind her back, has a forest growing in her ass.


	2. The Nerdy Dude

I watched Doe inquisitviely, after spending time in the field with her for years at a time, I liked to think I could read her mind, though it was often the opposite of the case. Yet, for a brief moment I could've sworn my commander's mask slipped to show growing irritation at the chatty nerd. A absurd imagine of swatting a fly formed in my mind, Doe raising a thin brown eyebrow in question, "Grunt?"

Gaining my bearings back quickly, I recomposed myself, "Nothing sir."

"Right, I'll say I'll believe that when I die of old age."

I just nodded back silently, though my curiosity was piked when we starting entering what I called the forbidden fourtress. Really it was just the General Pike's quarters, and I say it that casually because I simply just don't care. Well that isn't entirely true, me and Pike where actually fairly good buddies, according to me anyways. In bootcamp, I had the unforunate timing of being unruly just when the general had stooped in to check progress on the 'fresh meat'. Let's just say, ever since then he hasn't had the highest opinion of me. Sheepishly I grimaced as I recalled the memory, quite vividly, as we made our way to Pike's 'domain of punishment'.

I sat with the grunts, eating the military's poor excuse of food, a very poor imitation of breakfast. A flavorless, milkless, plain old oatmeal every fucking morining.. and I wasn't the only one sick of this. Grinning to myself I waded my way through the cafeteria line to sit at Doe's table, which was unoccupied except for the commander herself, and took a seat without permission.

Doe was about to take a bite of her luxury breakfast, when she looked up at her unwelcome company, and stopped herself. Studying the new grunt, trying to gain her game, her angle. Truly out of all the fools she'd been assigned to train, this one was topping the list, and she thought for sure within the first five minutes she'd be killed off, and secretly part of her would be relieved if the burden was removed. Though there would be drastic downsides to having the ex-president's daughter's blood on your hands, bad press for sure. The grunt eyeing her expanctly across the table, Doe had taken to calling Jester, for she took nothing seriously, though she wouldn't admit it Jester was a outstanding soldier in the field, and a natural born leader. The kid had a way of rallying people to her side, a quality in Doe's opinion wasted on such a immature person. Setting her fork calmy down Doe ground out, "You better have a damn good excuse for invading my personal space grunt."

"I do Doe, me and the others are sick of this shit excuse of a breakfast, we work are asses off and you bitch at us day in and day out. Yet here you are enjoying bacon and eggs everymorning, when we're the ones doing the actual work," Jester said her blue eyes flashing a challenge, the smile on her face offsetting her tone of voice.

The whole rumbling noise of the cafeteria halted, in baited breath. The tension only being broken by Pike's voice drawling out, "So this is Jester commander? I fail to see what's so impressive."

Jester turned around in her seat, controlling the urge to gape, the general, and i mean the general stood a hairsbreath behind her, and Pike had heard every little bit. 

I snapped back to the present, man I will never be allowed to live down that day, it probably went in the history books, making top of the list of all my little disrespectful stunts. Thinking back to those years, made me miss the days of not having a 'thousand yard stare'. Focusing on the present I stood at Doe's side, while Pike gestured for all of us to take a seat. Wolfe was practically shaking in his undergraduate boots, and if i stared intensly enough at his tan dress shirt i could almost see the small mustard stain from his lunch. Man this guy never failed to dress to impress did he?

Jack fumbled around awkwaardly pushing a button on the side of his glasses that projected images from the skyriders iniative. So that was why I was here, oh no I was not going to be some goblin mutant straight out of a cheesy thriller film from the 21st century. I stood up ignoring the look from Pike and Doe, "Look here you nerd, I don't care if your famous or not you can take this whole ordeal and ram it where the sun dosen't shine, I'm not becoming the next horror reject in some lab."


	3. Goodbye's Are Tough Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright So I'm well aware there are several spelling errors, and when I have the time I will polish it up some.

Doe grabbed Jester, and yanked the loud mouthed fool back into her seat, "Sit down Jester, that godamned mouth is all talk and no think. Hear the lad out before you go take a chunk out of him."

Pike leaned back, he was dressed like something out of a sailer's caption role or something along those lines. Downed in navy blue, with a hat and sveral pins and stripes to match. His face aged and the neatly trimmed beard white with his age. Though I knew better than to let his age fool me, I'd seen him smear grunts all over the floors before, thank my stars not me, though I did come close that one time. 

"Continue on son" he commanded, and Wolfe flicked the presenation to a particularly disturbing image. 

It certainly used to be a human male from what I could tell, those his skin was sickly looking with blotches of rotting flesh hanging in bits here and there. He kinda looked like a zombie and the thought of that happening to me, made this room very uncomfortable, but I sat still glancing in the dirction of the door ready to make a hasty exit if need be. Then with another push against his glances, and a dramatic wave and estactic expression later, Wolfe showed the image of another man, half naked. I smoothed my tongue over my lips, appreciating the eye candy, Wolfe glanced at me oddly and I realized he probably thought i was checking him out. Disgusted I remained neutral looking.

Wolfe pointed to the angel like wings on his back, the muscle structure thick and sturdy, he looked like something out of the old testement. His wings shined like they where made of metal, i listened intently to the skinny tan gummy bear, "So you see here, unlike the first man there is no rotting flesh or adverse side effects to the gene splicing. I have perfected what my collegues failed to acheive. The sole reason it failed the first trials, was genteics! It's so simple really..." and a bunch of science talk that I chose to drone out. 

Pike asking me a question snapped me out of my wonderings, "Jester did you hear what I asked you?"

"Huh.. uh no sir I-"

"Wasn't paying attention yes I know. We brought you here for a reason, Wolfe would like a audience with you, that's not a question or offer that's a direct order grunt," Pike Said.

Doe and Pike left me with the nerdy guy in a blank office with no windows, just a metal table with two matching metal chairs. Two gaurds stood outside the door, Wolfe's men from the looks of the sitaution, I felt like I was in a prison boarding room or something. I took a seat opposit from the famours scientist, having the chance to properly study him, he was attractive in a weird way, if you could get over the fact that he was proabably way smarter than I was by a long shot. Pff..just hand hima gun see who's the loser then. 

Wolfe grabbed several folders stacking them neatly to his left, "So Miss Johnson-"

I cut him off there, "Just Grace if you could, Miss Johnson is my mother and she's long dead."

Wolfe nodded, "Yes Grace, you see you have a unique protein in your genes, it's called G13, only one in a billion people possess this protein in their genes, so as you can see it's quite rare," he paused letting me absorb all of this.

"That means that you are one of the very few people capable of being a skyrider for C.O.U.P, which I work for quiet proudly I'd say so" he boasted with a small smirk.

I just gave him a blank expression, being a skyrider would be a nice change, though I would honestly miss my comrades in arms, we are a strange dysnfunctional little family. Though that tends to happen when you go to war together, sleep together (mind out of the gutter folks), and well do everything together. Though I was tired of being in war, more often than not I was kept up at night for the things I did just to survive, and well after sveral tours, I'd lost to many friends, and I wasn't about to stick around to see the rest go to. As i recalled the voice of war, and the hell i trudged through Wolfe's calm voice called me back to reality.  
"Miss J-Grace! Are you alright? You understand this is volunatrily I won't force you to come with me, all it's your choice I assure you," he promised with a smile.

This kid probably was a doormat when he was younger, probably still is, "You couldn't force me even if you wanted to, but I'll go you, got papers to sign?"

He seemed suprised by my lack of though on the decision, "Wow.. to be honest I expected to not here that or so quickly! I know the skyriders program does not have the best reputation, but I promise that you won't be a horror movie reject as you aptly put it" he said sliding a contract for me to sign. I didn't bother reading it, i just sighed it, maybe I'd regret that late, but i'll worry about that when later came.

Jack seemed very enthused at my quick coperation and lack of hesitation, he looked at me "Well you'll be living with me, I hope this arrangment dosen't bother you? I know it's unorthodox but I'd like you to be close, just in the rare case that something bad does happen."

It irked me that he didn't tell me this earlier, but if we did have problems i knew how to bury him eleven different ways and make it look like accident. Plus I had connections.... I shook his hand, surpsingly he didn't have soft hands like expected, "Well let's be on your way then, is there any belongings you'd like my men to round up before we leave?"

I shook my head no he seemed to think for a moment, nodding, "Very well... if you need any purchases later on when we arive simply let me know."

"I appreciate the offer Dr.doolittle but, I got those bases covered....not like I'm broke", I finished in a unconvinging tone. 

Jack nodded and I followed behind him, walking between his yeti tall body gaurds. I glanced at my friends, people i'd been to hell with, making eye contact with them as i walked away, several saluted me, and before i boarded the black chopper. I stopped and saluted them back. So this was it, this was goodbye.


	4. Eagle's Pride

I wore the standard phones to talk between the piolets and Jack over the noise of the thrumming blades, a familar whoosh whoosh whoosh, like a steady heart beat. My small hands where fisted tightly together, part me was yelling I was weak and I was coward for running away, but then the other part whispered back, was it so wrong not want to feel the pain anymore? How many more sleepless nights would I suffer in the name of war, for a country that I might as well be nameless to stories aren't told about grunts and I was certaintly no war hero. I unfolded my right hand, tilting it to where only I could see the jagged scar across my palm, a angrey pink line. It still throbbed even now, even more so, for the painful reminder it served. 

Jack watched Grace closely, he was glad she was so willing to trust him, but he couldn't help, but curious at to why she was so quick to accept? He considered himself a good people reader, even though he was socially awkward at times, he did understand more than he let on at times. He watched that far off look, a stare he'd seen on too many soldiers that served time in combat, after a few minutes he glanced away out the window at his side, seemed to private a moment to invade on.

Grace absentmindly ran her fingers over her palm, trying to soothe a pain that seemed inescapable. It got wors at night when she was alone, sometimes she'd tie her hands behind her back just so she wouldn't wake up swinging and take out another comrade on accident in their sleep. She didn't leave the field by choice, but rather the demands of their medical team. They said it was a severe case of PTSD, they gave her pills, hundreds of unending pills it seemed. It didn't make a difference it didn't numb it enough. 

Flinching when she touched where the tendons had been severed months prior, she still couldn't use her right hand correctly, wouldn't stop her from kicking ass if need be though. This army dog wasn't going down because of a bum paw it would take a lot more than that. She flexed her damaged hand hoping to ease some of the pent up tension and thought back to how she got here in the first place.

Bullets flew everywhere, some buried in the sand and dirt sending sprays of blinding dust every which direction. Grace glanced back to her team counting the heads this was it just a 100 more meters and they where at the extraction point, and it was all over, they'd be out of this hell hole for good. Doe and the others where already waiting, each moment, precious seconds wasted. Grace paused when one was missing, going over faces she grabbed Jon, the closest to her, yelling in his ear, "Where's Benjamin?!"

"I don't know sir! We lost him in the Chaos, back in the cover! Sir what are your orders?!" Jon yelled back.

"I'm trusting you Jon, lead the others back to the extraction point, no risks, it's on my head you got that?! No man left behind!" Grace said, hoisting her plasma rifle off her back, its heavy metal weight a familiar comfort admist the destruction. 

Jon paused widening his eyes, his green eyes lost in a moment's weakness, gently squeezing her shoulder, "It was a honor sir."

"Yea I'm not dead yet!" Grace yelled heading back into the frey. Her hands where uncomfortably sweating grit and blood caking in every crevice. Her black hair uneveningly butchered off, from months prior when she took a hunting knife to it for convenience. 

With her undominant left hand, she flexed her hand and the chip embedded in her wrist recognized the gesture activating a holo sheild. Shaped light a rhombos, kind of resembling a blue tinted knight's sheild. Plasma bolts bounced off sending them spraying in every which direction, matted dread locks ripping every which way in the violent wind, she saw Benjamen now taking cover behind a crashed hover craft, it's metal frame nearly twisted beyond recognition, he was clutching his shoulder, where blood pooled around the puncture wound, staining through the reinforced weaved suits they all wore. Purple plasma bolts went searing over his head, he turned back in suprise recognizing the plasma color anywhere. Grace was at his side in seconds, assessing the damage, going to throw his arm over her slight shoulders, but looking flabbergasted when Benjamen snapped his arm from her grip, "No ma'm I'm dead weight, I've already lost to much blood, even if we did make it, I'd be dead before medics made the seen. You've got to let go!"

Grace tugged again, refusing to except no as a answer, "You arn't dying on my watch Ben! Ben stop it!" she yelled holding a shield over both of their forms. 

To focused on try to drag her half dead 'friend' from cover and to safety she didn't see the cloaked trugging behind her stealithy lit sword poised for a deadly strike. With a last burst of adrenlin Benjamen put himself in the way of the hit. The lit sword going clean through his gut with a wet spletch and he was nearly dead hanging limply off the repetelian alien's sword. 

With a last glance back Benjamen said "Somebodies gotta save you for a change Grace", and pulling a small plasma pistol from his side he blasted the cloaked brain's out, black and red blood splattering across the sandy tundra. Both Ben and the cloaked lie dead side by side, Grace paid no attention to the bullets grazing by her suit a few skipping across the suit itself tearing the skin tight garment open. She bent down head hung low, ripping his tags off, tears swimming around her blue orbs.

Jack's voice asking her a question made Grace jump out of it hands, going to the plasma pistol resting in its holster at her side, Benjamen and her initals eteched together on it, his tags wheren't the only thing she took that day.

Realizing she wasn't on the Planet Delta-Morph, she relaxed her hand back into her lap, "What was that Wolfe?"

"I was asking if you would call me Jack from now on... since we will be working closely together, I was hoping if'd you eventually come to see us as friends perhaps?" Jack yelled in the mic his voice coming through my end distorted.

"Perhaps" I simply replied my eyes focused out the only window on Jack's side, a mantion like base came into view. Rich lush grass surrouding the fenced in area, curled bobwire topping a eleven foot brick fence. Only a single gate acting as a entrance to the base. The back chopper with the logo of Sky, the world's largest genetic splicing corporation, landed on a large black pad on the buildings flat roofing system.

Pulling her head set off Grace set it to the side, unsteadily hopping down from the Chopper, Jack followed suit nearly tumbled but Grace caught his shoulder last second. A faint blush dusted his angled cheek, "Thanks."

"No problem it happens," I replied taking point after the two tall gaurds, Jack standing by my side silently guiding me through the mazing halls. For a place so large very few people where out and about, but I soon found the observation to be wrong when I saw the large expanse of the large pristine white lab teeming with all hundreds of nerds. 

The gaurds excused themselves leaving me and Jack standing on the railing over looking the lab, his shoulder a hairsbreath away from brushing mine, "Amazing isn't it?" he murmured a happy gleam in his brown eyes. 

"Yeah I was expecting some back woods factory", I joked in awe not hearing his amused snicker. 

He patted my shoulder gesturing for me to follow him, we made our way through the people and equipment I couldn't hope to put names to, Jack chittering away as we made closer to the destination. A oval tubule connected to many large electrical cables screwed into the wall, following them up I realized they lead up the wall and back the way we came in, probably connecting to a really large generatot, or at least that was my best guess. 

Jack grabbed my shoulder guiding me to what looked like a changing room, I arched my brow lookingback at him as he lingered near the door, "Want to see me naked or something? Could've just asked."

As i expected he turned 50 shades of red, suppertering in indignation "Why- I-you- No! Of course not!"

"Relax I was just joking but really why am I in here? You want me to change into one of these papery gown thingys?" I asked fingering the airy outfit distastefully.

"Um-yes unless you'd like to go into the incubation tube naked?" he asked smirking as he got his payback, I fidgetd uncomfortable at the thought.

"Yea enjoy it why you can.. I think we'll get along okay buddy. Before I get in this gown, what kind of ball am I attending prince charming?" I asked casually taking the little stool provided in the corner of the small 5 by 5 room.

Jack stared back obviously not getting what I asked by his totally blank expression, he lounged against the door, and I could tell by his more relaxed body position, that here he was in his element. 

"Eh you didnt get that... okay. What exactly is going to happen to me, you didn't exactly give me the juicy little details on our breif ride here," i said unlacing my polished black boots one lace at a time, a instinct bred from years of repetive habit and inbred training.

"Well it was in the contract that you didn't bother to read, but I'll explain anyways. Your not going to feel anything, it'll take a few days-"

"Wait only a few days? That's really quick!" I exclaimed surprised at the wonders of science.

"Well yes as I was saying, before you rudely interuppted me, within those few days you'll be under. Put into coma with the use of chemicals, perfectly safe I swear, and as you sleep the gene splicing shall take place. Afterwards when your wings are more fully developed-"

"So even though the process is quick and only a few days, my wings won't be at full strength? How long will I have to wait till they are full strength?" I asked setting my boots aside, watching as Jack striaghtend to a stand annoyed that I had interuppted him... yet again.

"Will you stop interuppting me! Okay, again as I was saying, it will take a few days after you emerge from the incubation ovule for your wings to fully strength. Now a few days is a rough estimation, your the second skyrider we've made, so it could be a few days or few weeks it all depends on how your genetics interact with the splicing" Jack rambled.

He looked ready to leave me to changing, "Is there any particular bird you're fond of?"

I looked on thoughtful for a moment, "A bald eagle."

Jack jotted that down on his hand with a black click pen, which also had the sky logo on it. The white cloud logo dissappearing with the pen in the pocket of his tan dress shirt


	5. Bursting Out

Grace changed into the gown choosing to put on two to hide the scarred up skin that was peaking out from her back side. one tied the right way and the other facing backwards with the ties in front. Her military uniform a one piece black suit formed of a metal engraved weaved with a zipp up back, folded behind her along with her boots, gun, and dog tags.

When she opened the door Jack was leaning against the wall fidling with the black pen he had tucked away in his pocket earlier. He held out a pair of thin white hospital slippers, "The floors are cold."

"Thanks I guess" I responded awkwardly hopping on my feet to slip them on as I also attempted to keep up with Jack. It was only a few minute walk from the dressing room to the ovule, that'd I'd be hanging out in for a couple days.

We stopped at a work counter bare except for a few odds and ends, it stood rsting up against the ovule tank. Jack put a mic on, taking the underside of my left wrist running a scan on the chip embedded in my flesh and muscle. With a needle he injected another chip next to that one, patting the small amount of blood dry with a cotton ball, "This will allow you to communicate with me if a problem arises, it scans your thoughts if you allow it and transmutes them to this mic in my ear."

I nodded at least I wouldn't be alone then, that fact was slighlty making this whole situation a bit more comfortable. I just became the world's, and military's, next guinea pig, all the other scientists contiuned their work around us, only a few paying us mind. A few curious and excited glances here and there.

Jack helped me into the ovule, taking the slippers from me, I stood still leaning back against the gel seat like contraption he had strapped into he stepped into the Ovule with me for a moment yanking down scuba like gear and settling it over my face, making sure all the little do-hickeys where secured properly, "This will stop you from drownding in the solution, that will nurture the wings. Now I'm going to insert this I.V now and in a few minutes you will have the best sleep of your life."

I slightly flinched at the needle's intrusion, Jack suprised me by soothing his thumb over the offended flesh and throwing me a apologetic glance. I felt my senses fading from me, the numbness taking over, this is what I had wanted right? As the darkness of sleep swarmed over I grabbed Jack's retreating hand, suprising him with my resistance and grip, the chip sending my thoughts as a voice into his mic, "Please don't leave me alone.... and-and when I get out of here I want to meet the first skyrider."

Jack jumped at the raw quality of the voice in his mic, the sheer desperation and fear, and here he was under the impression that under all that facade Grace was resiliant. He couldn't honestly imagining her crying, but understanding under the circumstance he nodded, and her grip went slack and she went limp. The only thing holding her upright was the gel seat she had been strapped upright into prior.

Jack walked away from the seen to observe the project that had been all his years in the making, seven years to be almost exact. A triumphent smirk making his mouth crinkle. He waved his hand, a silent command for the other scientists to continue on with the procedure. The lasers inking the spot where the gene splicing would be injected into for growth and from there it was simple and close observation. He had a trusted team, ready to take shifts, for a couple overnights of close inspection and documentation of the entire ordeal. After the medical precision red lasers made two microscopic dots, the small metallic arms roated to the back of the ovule, to reviel two more holding a four inch needle each, filled with a clear gel like substance, being slowly injected into the area of the lasor dotting. 

Night one went smoothly, the muscle and bone structure of newly formed wings spanning out behind Grace, elegant, and just beginning to grow new metal like feathers. It was something like out of a nano-techno based movie, you could see the feathers form right before of your eyes. The wings larger than expected, but then again they where the splice of a eagle unlike the first skyrider who chose a great horned owl for their stealth. Jack glanced down to the quickly jotted notes of his insubordinates, marking that the wing length had finished maturing, topping each wing at nearly ten feet long each, topping a nine foot six inches long to be specific, for a whopping 20 foot wing span in total. Nodding silently satisfied there wasn't going to be any further things to take note or worry of, Jack headed off to bed.

It seemed as soon as his messy tussled head hit the pillow, the alarm for the lab was going off, he didn't bother changing out of his heart pajama bottom and top earning several rather bizarre stares from his awoken collegues. Throwing a white lab coat on Jack quickly bounded down the stairs leading to the lab, cursing when he nearly stubbed his toe on a few tables in his rush. He looked up at the tank in blatant shock, the wings had overwhelmed the ovule's tank, sending spidering cracks, it was the just the beginning of the second day! Overcoming his suprise Jack quickly spared a glance through the cracking tank's glass, to see that the wings curled around Grace protectively, and very unsual, the long flight feathers on Grace's wings looked like they where made of gold.   
Jack barked orders looking more like a rapid dog, sending the ones he growled at scurring off in a panic, suprised to see Jack so worked off, "You had one job! To watch the dman tank! Lower the pressure and drain the solution!"

One of the scientists raised their voice, clearly nervous, a young kid of 21 with blond hair and brown eyes, "Dr.Wolfe it's only the beginning of the second day, shouldn't we-"

Jack rounded up on Jim like a wolf circling a mouse, "When your head of this project you can argue my orders then, just drain the tank now before it burst-"

The sound of shattering glass made both scientists raise their arms in alarm, clear solution sent spraying everywhere, making a huge sloshy mess on the floor they stood on and around them. Jack gripped the sleeves of his white lab coat in irritation, standing soaked in his heart pajamas, slipping and sliding his way to Grace's side. 

Grace woke up weakly pulling off the breathing mask, and the restraints, holding her in the gel tank seat, Jack nearly topping over when he caught her from the added weight of her wings. Her wings drooped at her side, Garce's face was in the nook of Jack's neck, her hospital gown hanging wetly to her, like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination. 

Glancing over at Jim Jack spoke quickly, "Here help me move her and clean her up, round up a few on call nurses to bathe her afterwards."  
"Sir" Jim replied dragging his feet to help stop himself from slipping every which direction and send equipment and sharp pointy objects from flying along with him.

My head was pounding and I felt weird, tingly, buzzing with more life. I was hypersensitive to my surroudings, like I was pumped full of ecstasy, it all was so surreal. I didn't register when they wiped my wings down, but the feel of dexterous hands roaming through the plumage of my feathers felt nice and relaxing, like having someone run their hands through your hair. I fell asleep to the feeling, off nice warm bath water, and a women's voice softly singing.


	6. First Flight

I was buried, and I mean completely burritoed in something soft and suffocatingly warm. Annoyed I went to push the over bundent of blankets off my sweaty body only to ran my hands across something metallic yet soft at the same time? Wildly flailing my arms about i realized upon opening my eyes and falling off the bottom bunk, of a standard issue bunking room bunk bed, that I had fucking wings! I mean it shouldn't be such a suprise sighing up for the skyrider program under sky incorporated, but it still was suprise.

I ran my hands over my suit, somebody had even repaired it. Looking around quickly I realized there was absolutely zero windows in this room, and the only furniture, was behind me, a simple metal framed bunk bed. Everything in the room felt dull and dreary with its single grey toned coloring. Man they sure didn't lack on creativity...

Having wings was different, it was like moving a arm or leg, it just seemed so natural it came off as bizzare, or at least to me. That and my balance felt off, no way it wasn't the oversized wings? I spread my wings out and even in the large room I occupied they curled in against the sides of the room and bed, the feathers suprsingly light and fleixble, yet i could feel their strength. I could feel each individual feather like a raw, alive nerve, just waiting my command.

I found it unsual that my flight feathers where gold though, considering I had specifcally asked for a bald eagle's wings but who was I to complain. I wasn't some freaky ass goblin mutant! I folded my wings against my back they arched far above my shoulders by at least a head or two. I found my tags hanging from the bed post, and by the foot of the bottom bunk was a brand new pair of boots, rather happy at how this whole situation turned out I didn't hesitate to grab them and start lacing them up over my skin tight leather like one piece jump suit. My flight feathers ended in fine golden points nearly sweeping against the floor as I stood up and walked, my wings making me appear demanding and intimidating to appraoch. I found my holster hanging on the end of the bed, near the boots, Ben's plasma pistol still safely tucked away inside it. I took the belt with practiced ease cinching it low against my hips. Giving the plain prison like room one more look over to see if i had missed anything left behind for me I spotted a mirrror mounted on the far wall. I turned to face it I looked different I felt different, freed from those ivisble chains binding me to the Earth, I was back in the game once more.

No more pitying looks from other grunts, no more dissappoinment shining in Pike's eyes, no now those days where officially sighed away. I turned my back to the mirror and grabbed the silver door knob and began turning it, i paused before pushing the door open, this was it I could bury the past, but never the scars I carried from it. I quickly figured out that it seemed most of the rooms where designed to be facing the lab I had became a human expermient in it... and oddly I was very calm and okay with all this situation. 

Grace strutted up to the brown metal railing leaning slightly over watching all the white coats run around like a nest of teeming ants. Though something special caught her eye, it was the first skyrider Jack had mentioned, and speaking of Jack he caught my eye and waved me down, a silent challenge in his eyes. So he wanted to see if this new little hatchling could jump from the nest huh? 

I climbed hestiantly over the railing, hanging dangerously over the edge now, my human instincts screaming out that gravity was very real, and I had to retrain my mind into remebering we had wings now... surely I wouldn't go splat. It'd be one hell of a short lived trip if I did, mentally I prayed to the lord almighty, just in case I showed up a little earlier than planned. I inhaled deeply and jumped spreading my wings, against the flourescent lighting above e, my wings casted a large shadow making several people watch on gawking in apparent awe at their newest success. I landed unpracticed and awkward, tripping over my own two feet to be caught by the other skyrider.

Feeling the iron grip of those hands, i could tell by the thickness and feel of the hands on my jump suit that those hands definitly belonged to a male. I looked up into his face, he had a polite distant smile, blond hair slicked back, not even a strand was out of this place. Briefly I wondered if this guy had a extreme case of OCD or something, even his black business dress screamed it. That and the very dark tinted shades, who wore shades inside? A douche!   
"Uh-thanks for catching me there" I awkwardly bumbled inching my way to Jack's side before I realized what I was doing, I sure as hell wasn't some damsel in distress! I might as well have been one of the men, in fact judging from the guy's posture blondie hadn't seen war as intimately as I had.   
I held my hand out, and when blondie grabbed my hand, I squeezed that suckers hand for all I was worth. I swore I could've felt the bones in his hand grind together, he winced pulling his hand way rubbing along his slick black slacks. 

Jack interuppted are pissing match, "Well Grace this is Laurence, Laurence Wills. You'll be working closely together today while I observe. He will teach what he's learned. Follow him to the flight simulators... I'll be along shortly," and with those quick words Jack brushed us both aside.

"I would say it was a pleasure to meet you Grace, but as it I think you broke my hand" Laurence joked casually.

I raised a brow, he didn't take long to settle down in the presence of strangers did he?

"I suppose I could've been gentler, but then again I don't do pussy shakes either."

Laurence nearly choked on his own spit, looking baffled that I just outright said that with little to no shame. It was tensely quiet then as I followed him, kind of felt like hanging out with a lawyer. I took my surroudnings in since I hadn't had the chance and as I looked around I realized everything seemed sharper, clearer, like a invisble film had been removied from over my eyes, "Is it just me... or everything sharper?"

Laurence smiled pulling his shades off, his eyes glancing back directly in mine, they where gold like an owl's eyes in the head of a human. Seeing this, his very downy based brown wings, I knew that I belonged here. It was just like every moment leading me here just clicked, and I knew I had made the right choice.  
Laurence's owl pupils dialted taking in the bright light, he held a arm out stopping me at the entrance to what I assumed was the flight simulator. Looking around I realized we where the only one present, it was a big silver hollow dome, the surface covered in what looked like reflective black mirrors. I walked further in, hearing Laurence seal the door behind us.

"To answer your previous question... the gene splicing has some added bonus, unexpected. Imagine my suprise and Jack's at my eyes, it's been several years since I've been under the gene splices. So far it's noted that I have enhanced eyesight, my eyes are very similar to a owl's, genetically nearly identical to the one I've been spliced with. My wings are very similar to an Owl's to, in the fact that I can take flight very silently, giving me obvious and distinct advantages."

Grace nodded looking at her wings, "So will I have those advantages to?"

Laurence put his hand under his chin thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side in a very owl like fashion, "I don't know, we are spliced from different birds entirely, that and it took a few days for my other effects to become noticeable. Even now, Jack jokes I act more bird than man."

Smiling devishly Grace rested her hands on her hips, clearly looking Laurence up and down, "You look very... manly to me."

Laurence smiled, formed white teeth poking out, "I'll take that as a compliment, now let's get down to business. I want you to take flight."

"I already did though?", I mean I glided down to them in the labs earlier, but it was basically the same thing as flying.

Laurence actually rolled his golden eyes at me, "Gliding dosen't count, now quit stalling and give it your best shot, we have to work on strenghting your flight skills and the newly formed muscles of your wings."

I nodded spreading my wings, laurence jumping out of the way in suprise at the wing span, I smirked at his dumbfounded expression. That's right pretty boy.. mine are bigger! Bigger is better bad boy. I felt a small breeze looking to Laurence in question he gestured around at the simulator. 

I felt the moment slow, drinking in the sensation of each feather being ruffled through the small breeze, it even smelt fresh, this room was amazing, and I found myself eager to discover what else the dome shaped room was capable of. Searching around I could find my sight was even clearer than before, the finest of details becoming easily to distinguish. The crevices between the black plates on the wall, even the smallest down feathers swaying with the breeze on Laurence's wings.

He nodded pushing me to hurry up in impateince, with a single powerful thrust I found myself airborn, my wings casting luminous shadows against the curved walls. the area was very vast, allowing me naerly ten minutes of flight before reaching either side of the wall. I was visbily startled when Laurence casually flew next to me, he really wasn't joking about being silent, he'd make a deadly adversary assuming nobody looked up.

I could see it now, mommy look at that big bird! 

Time seems to pass so quickly dosen't it?


	7. 10 years Till That Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was 10 years now from the date I had first met Laurence, and had my first flight.

It was 10 years now from the date I had first met Laurence, and had my first flight. You'd think a lot would've happened in the spanse of a decade, but truth be told very little progress had been made on us, the project of skyriders, we hadn't had the chance to prove to a world that believed we where a blight against a religion, that we weren't some demons to be feared. Though through time, Laurence had had lapses into his 'animal instinct', a negative side effect of gene splicing with animals, any animal splice, really. So a serum had been created called D-123, it was a regular injection of hormones, designed to keep the gene splicing from dominating over our human side, going without for long periods led a splice to slowly gain more animal features, till slowly you became a humanoid version of that animal, all humanity and human thoughts lost to your animal instincts. 

I had gotten lucky, I was the one of the few of many splices that didn't have to take the twice daily injection of D-123. We had free leave to roam the public and base as we wish, as long as we carried a special I.D marked with a capital GS to let authorities know we where a registered gene splice. You see we where among the first gene splices to be successful, and it wasn't long before some normal citizens of varying lifestyles and social classes volunteered with other scientists that wished to follow in the famous Jack Wolfe's foot steps. For reasons even our nerdy guy couldn't fathom, you had to possess the special gene to be a bird splice, but gene splicing with other animals had no stipulations. 

At first when the splices came into the public, they where welcomed with curious glances, yet the government soon saw the risk that gene splices posses to the majority of the unaffected population. We where stronger, faster, and in some cases more agile. They labeled us unnatural and all gene splicing was banned, and very illegal now. We became the second class citizens, people scorned for advancing science another few years ahead, parents told their children to stay away from splice children. You see, the gene splicing could be passed on from parent to child as long as said child had at least one parent that was a splice.

The Skyrider program hadn't been shut down, we where too 'valuable' of an asset to the military to be done away with. Our wings gave us a silent access to beyond where the normal soldier could go on foot, the enemy never thought to look up when they expect a ground ambush did they? Laurence had taught me what he knew of flight, and in turn I gave him the run down of boot camp, and man for a lawyer he was a natural athlete. Now enough of the run down on the past decade, let's focus back on the present shall we?

I wore the black bio suit specially designed with my large wing span inside. They had grown fuller and more muscular since I first came out of the splicing ovule. Pink scars marred along the topside of the muscular wing arm's, no soft downy feathers grew there. They weren't the most primped our groomed wings, but they did their duties well enough I'd suppose. 

Grace kneeled at the foot of the grave, she left the base in the pouring rain, not minding the thunder crashes or the bright flashes that lit up across the vast night sky. She certainly didn't mind the rain, as the tears on her face just looked like more rain drops, sliding down her marred face and onto the muddy grave ground. A small of statue of a weeping angel was mounted on top the grave stone, her hands running across the black etched letters, "Hey long time it's been huh mom? I told you one day you'd see an angel, I wish you could've seen it, now I guess I really am the angel you always wanted...." Grace sighed settling her back against the stone glaring at the sky angrily spreading her midnight wings to form a barrier from the rain, "Psh, who am I kidding? You never listened to me then, and I sure as hell know you're not now."

She jumped when Laurence walked up in front of her, his shiny dress shoes stopping in front of her folded, knees, he held a drenched umbrella in his hands. His brown owl wings straying envelope her, "Is that why you joined the program? I always thought there was more to it than you where saying back then."

"Oh it's you flyboy...."


End file.
